James Craggs the Younger
 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (June 2022) |
James Craggs | |
|---|---|
 Portrait by Sir Godfrey Kneller, c. 1708 | |
| Secretary at War | |
| In office 1717–1718 | |
| Preceded by | William Pulteney |
| Succeeded by | The Viscount Castlecomer |
| Secretary of State for the Southern Department | |
| In office 1718–1721 | |
| Preceded by | Joseph Addison |
| Succeeded by | The Lord Carteret |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 9 April 1686 |
| Died | 16 February 1721 (aged 34) |
James Craggs the Younger PC (9 April 1686 – 16 February 1721), was an English politician.
Life
Craggs was born at Westminster, the son of James Craggs the Elder. Part of his early life was spent abroad, where he made the acquaintance of George Louis, Elector of Hanover, afterwards King George I of Great Britain. In 1713 he became Member of Parliament for Tregony, in 1717 Secretary at War, and in the following year Secretary of State for the Southern Department. Craggs was implicated in the South Sea Bubble, but not so deeply as his father, whom he predeceased, dying on 16 February 1721, aged 34. Among Craggs's friends were Alexander Pope (who wrote the epitaph on his monument in Westminster Abbey), Joseph Addison and John Gay.[1]
James Craggs left an illegitimate daughter, Harriot Craggs, by the noted dancer and actress Hester Santlow. Harriot married firstly in 1726 to Richard Eliot, having nine children including Edward Craggs-Eliot, 1st Baron Eliot and secondly in 1749 to John Hamilton by whom she had a son.
James Craggs also left two Illegitimate sons, each named James, by different mothers, Reference to these may be found in the Will of his uncle, Michael Richards, who left bequests to Harriot and to each of the sons. One of the sons died at sea in 1740 as a lieutenant in the Royal Navy under the name James Smith, but noted as being the natural son of the late Secretary Craggs.
In 1719 he was one of the original backers of the Royal Academy of Music, establishing a London opera company which commissioned numerous works from Handel, Bononcini and others.[2]
References
- ^ One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Craggs, James s.v.". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 7 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 361.
- ^ Thomas McGeary. The Politics of Opera in Handel's Britain. Cambridge University Press, 2013. p.254
